Scholarship, Book, and Problem-solving Lab Activities

Project ARES Semester Project - MET 141

BACKGROUND: A small medieval town in the mountains of Western North Carolina called the Department of Engineering Technology asking for help in developing a weapon to help defend their small town against attacks by other towns in the region. The ET Department attempted to contact relatives of the famous military engineer and physicist Leonardo da Vinci to design and build the weapon system but no one could be found. Therefore, the department decided to hold an open design competition hoping the outstanding students in MET 141 can fulfill the role of designer/builder of a prototype system that will meet the small town's needs.

COURSE OBJECTIVES:

• Develop proficiency in the Engineering Design Process
• Develop knowledge in Engineering Materials
• Develop an understanding of projectiles in motion, physics, and math
• Participate in a Concept Design competition
• Design, develop, and build a prototype system
• Test and evaluate a prototype system in order to win a production contract
• Operate as a team

PROJECT ARES REQUIREMENTS:

• System must be completely mechanical in design (no compressed gas, electricity, black powder, etc.)
• Must be composed of at least five different types of materials
• Must propel a softball to a 10 foot radius target 40 meters away
• Must have a 3 round per 10 minute rate of fire
• Must be light and mobile

Video Gallery

Team Captain "TJ" gives a brief overview of Project ARES, then the class attempts two unsuccessful launches, discusses what modifications to make, and finally completes two successful launches.

• Overview 1 (0:00:34 - 961KB)
• Overview 2 (0:00:22 - 634KB)
• Attempt 1 (0:00:10 - 297KB)
• Attempt 2 (0:00:08 - 243KB)
• Modification (0:00:17 - 537KB)
• Success 1 (0:00:10 - 311KB)
• Success 2 (0:00:06 - 201KB)
  

Photo Gallery